Nicrochet

Tuesday, December 22, 2015

While taking a break from blogging, I made two simple granny square blankets, for my favorite niece and nephew.

Kai's is a simple blue granny square with a triangle hood. I just kept making the square bigger until it was the size that I wanted.

Annalise's blanket is also made with granny squares. I decided what I wanted it to look like on graph paper so that I would know how many granny squares to make. It looks fancier, but it is still just a regular granny square blanket.

You can learn how to make your own granny squares from this tutorial (coming soon).

Monday, July 30, 2012

This pattern was actually a happy accident. I originally wanted to make a drawstring mushroom pouch, but I wasn't exactly pleased with the way it was coming out. Rather than pulling out the stitches and starting over, I decided to continue with the project and make a mushroom amigurumi.

As long as gauge is consistent, it is not important for this pattern. When you have completed the first few rounds of the head, add some stuffing. If it appears that the stitches are too large to hold the stuffing without it being visible, either increase the yarn tension or use a smaller hook. The amigurumi pictured is about 2.75 inches tall.

Notes:

This pattern is done in the traditional amigurumi spiral. Rounds are continuous and are not joined. For this reason, it is important to use a stitch marker to keep track of the first stitch of each round.

Special Stitches:

Invisible Decrease( invdec)
Magic circle

(I will be working on some tutorials for the above stitches. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments sections)

Mushroom

With A, make a magic circle, and ch 1. (ch does not count as a st)

Rnd 1: 6 sc in the ring, pull tight to form the round. (6).
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around (12)
Rnd 3: *1 sc in first st, 2 sc in next st* (18)
Rnd 4: *1 sc in the first st, 2 sc in the next st, and 1 sc in the following st* (24)
Rnd 5: *2 sc in the first st, and 1 sc in each of the next 3 sts (30)
Rnds 6-9: *1 sc in each st of the rnd* (30)
Rnd 10: *sc in first 3 sts, 1 invdec* (24)
Rnd 11: *1 sc in the first st, 1 invdec, 1 sc in the next st* (18)
Rnd 12:*1 sc, 1 invdec* (12)

Change to B

Rnds 13-14: sc in each st around (12)

Begin stuffing your amigurumi.

Rnd 15-16: sc in each st around (12)

Insert your safety eyes in between the the previous 2 rnds. Place them on the opposite side of the st marker with 1 to 2 sts in between each eye.

Rnd 17-18: sc in each st around (12)
Rnd 19: *1sc, 1 invdec* (8)

Finish stuffing your amigurumi being mindful of the safety eyes.

Rnd 20: 4 invdec (4)

Fasten off leaving a long tail. Using your blunt yarn needle, stitch closed the last four stitches. Tie off and weave any lose yarn ends into the amigurumi.

Spots

Make 4

With C, make a magic circle, ch 1.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in the ring, pull tight to form the round. (6).
Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around (12)

sl st in the next st and fasten off leaving about a 12 inch tail.

Position your spots into your amigurumi and hold in place with pins. Using your yarn needle, sew the spots to the top of the mushroom. When you have finished, weave away any loose ends.

Saturday, February 4, 2012

I love zombies! Zombie books, zombie movies, zombie shows, zombie crafts. Having read most of the comic series The Walking Dead by Robert Kirkman, I am very pleased with the show on AMC. Many people dislike when a series deviates from the original plot lines, but I love it. The changes made allow me to continue to be interested and continue to be surprised. One of my favorite changes was adding the character Daryl Dixon. After season two's mid season finale (which inspired my zombie Sophia cat toy) I can not wait for the show to come back on February 12th!

Here is a crochet pattern that should get you through the next week, until we see the return of season two of AMC's the Walking Dead.

A small amount of embroidery floss or craft cord for face (brown, black, blue)

Suggested hook: E (3.5mm), or a hook appropriate to the yarn you are using

A small amount of polymer clay for crossbow and squirrels (black, red, brown)

Blunt yarn needle

fiberfill stuffing

Stitch marker

Abbreviations:

* * Repeat directions in the asterisks () Number of stitches in the round

BL Back looks only

bo Bobble stitch

ch Chain stitch

FL Front loops

invdec Invisible decrease

Rnd Round

sc Single crochet

sc2tog Single crochet decrease ( two single crochet together)

sl st Slip stitch

st(s) Stitche(s)

Gauge:

As long as gauge is consistent, it is not important for this pattern. When you have completed the first few rounds of the head, add some stuffing. If it appears that the stitches are too large to hold the stuffing without it being visible, either increase the yarn tension or use a smaller hook. The amigurumi pictured is about 12 inches.

Notes:

This pattern is done in the traditional amigurumi spiral. Rounds are continuous and are not joined. For this reason, it is important to use a stitch marker to keep track of the first stitch of each round.

Special Stitches:

Bobble (bo)

Invisible Decrease( invdec)

Magic circle

Whip stitch

(I will be working on some tutorials for the above stitches. If you have any questions, feel free to post them in the comments sections)

Head and Torso

With A, make a magic, and ch 1.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in the ring, pull tight to form the round. (6).

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around (12)

Rnd 3: *2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st* (18)

Rnd 4: *1 sc in next 2 sts, 2 sc in next st* (24)

Rnd 5: sc in each st around (24)

Rnd 6: *2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next 3 sts* (30)

Rnd 7:*1 sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next st, 1 sc in the next 2 sts* (36)

Rnd 8 - 11: sc in each st around (36)

Rnd 12: *sc in next 2 sts, invdec, sc in next 2 sts* (30)

Rnd 13: sc in each st around (30)

Rnd 14: *invdec, sc in next 3 sts* (24)

Rnd 15: *1 sc in next 2 sts, invdec* (18)

Rnd 16: *invdec, sc in next 4 sts* (15)

Rnd 17-18: sc in each st around (15)

Change to B when there are two loops left on the hook for the last st of Rnd 18. Begin stuffing your amigurumi. (if you are using safety eyes, insert them before you stuff your head)

Rnd 19: *2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 4 sts* (18)

Rnd 20: *sc in the next 2 sts, 2 single crochet in the next st, sc in the next 3sts* (21)

Rnd 21-23: sc in each st (21)

Rnd 24: *sc in the next 6 sts, 2sc in the next st* (24)

Rnd 25-26: sc in each st (24)

Rnd 27: *sc in the next 3 sts, 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 4 st* (27)

Rnd 28-29: sc in each st (27)

Rnd 30: *2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 8 sts* (30)

Rnd 31: sc in each st (30)

Rnd 32: in the FL only, *sc in the next 5 st, 2sc in the next st* (35)

Rnd 33-34: sc in each st around (35)

Join the last st of Rnd 34 to the next st with a sl st and fasten off. Weave away the tail. Stuff the torso.

Arms

Make 2

With A, make a magic circle, ch 1

Rnd 1: 6 sc in the magic ring, pull tight (6)

Rnd 2: *2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 2 sts* (8)

Rnd 3: *sc in the next 3 sts, 2sc in the next st* (10)

Rnd 4-5: sc in each st (10)

Rnd 6: sc in the next st, bo in the next st, sc in the next 8 sts (10)

Rnd 7: sc in each st (10)

Rnd 8: *invdec, sc in the next 3 sts* (8)

Rnd 11: *2 sc in the next st, sc in the next st* (12)

Rnd 12-23: sc in each st (12)

Join the last st of Rnd 23 to the next st with a sl st and fasten off. Leave a 12 inch tail to attach the arms later. Stuff the arms.

Legs

Make 2

With B, make a magic circle, ch 1.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in the magic circle, pull tight (6)

Rnd 2: *2 sc in the next 2 sts, sc in the next st* (10)

Rnd 3: *sc in the next st, 2 sc in the next 2 sts, sc in the next 2 sts* (14)

Rnd 4: *sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next 2 sts, sc in the next 3 sts* (18)

Rnd 5: BL only, sc in each st (18)

Rnd 6-7: sc in each st (18)

Rnd 8: sc in the next st, invdec 4 times, sc in the next 9 sts (14)

Rnd 9: BL only, sc in next st, sc2tog 2 times, sc in the next 3 sts, sc2tog 2 times, sc in the next

2 sts (10)

Rnd10: 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 9 sts(11)

Rnd 11: sc in the next 4 sts, 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 5 sts (12)

Rnd 12: sc in the next 11 sts, 2 sc in the next st (13)

Change to C when there are two loops left on the hook for the last st of Rnd 12.

Rnd 13: 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 6 st, 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 5 st (15)

Rnd 14-24: sc in each st (15)

Rnd 25: sc in the next 14 sts, 2 sc in the next st (16 sts)

Rnd 26: sc in each st (16)

First leg only: Join with a sl st to the next st. Fasten off leaving a 12 inch tail.

Second Leg only: Place a st marker in the last st without joining or fastening off.

Joining the legs: Face the legs so that they are next to each other with the tail of the first leg in the middle of the legs. Thread the long tail through your yarn needle. Use a whip stitch to join two sts from each leg. Tie a knot, and weave away the tail. There should be 14 st left on each leg, 28 in all.

Starting where you left your stitch marker in Rnd 26, you will go around each st. The outer rim of both legs (28 sts) is the new round. Do not crochet into the sts where you connected the legs, just move onto the next leg and keep going;

Rnd 1: sc in each st (28)

Rnd 2: sc in the next 8 st, 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 9 sts, 2 sc in the next st, sc in the

next 9 sts (30)

Rnd 3-4: sc in each st (30)

Join with a sl st to the next st. Fasten off leaving a 24 inch tail.

Attach the top/bottom: Stuff bottom half of amigurumi. Look inside the torso and find Rnd 31, where you had crocheted in the FL only. Using your yarn needle attach the top of the pants to the BLs of the sts from RND 31 with a whip st. Go around twice to make sure your amigurumi is firmly attached.

Attach the arms: Pin the arms where you would like them. Using the tail you left at the end of the arms, neatly sew the arms to the body. Make sure that the thumbs (bo) are facing up.

Hair: Eyelash yarn, can sometimes be difficult to work with. Because of this, it is often better to crochet with less tension on the yarn. Remember that when using eyelash yarn, the wrong side/inside of your work is often more fuzzy than the right side/outside of your work. You have two options, you can either crochet as you normally would and then flip it inside out, or you can crochet along the inside rim of the hair wig.

Ch 2.

Rnd 1: 6 sc in the second ch from the hook (6)

Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st (12)

Rnd 3: *2 sc in the next st, sc in the next st* (18)

Rnd 4: *sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next st* (24)

Rnd 5: *2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 3 sts* (30)

Rnd 6: *sc in the next 2 sts, 2 sc in the next st, sc in the next 2 sts* (36)

Rnd 7-11: sc in each st (36)

Fasten off and leave a long tail. Position the hair on Daryl’s head. If necessary, pin it in place. Using a blunt needle and the tail, go around and fasten the hear to the head using a whip stitch. Hide the rest of the tail inside your amigurumi.

Face: Using your embroider floss, crochet Daryl’s face onto the amigurumi. Be careful that you are not pulling stuffing forward as you embroider your face. You can copy the face as you see it in the picture, or create your own. If you are not familiar with making a face, practice on some felt before hand or use a different type of face. Some people use beads or safety eyes. Others cut out little pieces of felt in the shapes of different facial features. You can also make eyes with polymer clay. The possibilities are endless, so don’t be afraid to be creative.

Squirrels: The squirrels are made with brown polymer clay. Make sure that you put a hole in the head of the squirrel like a bead before you bake the clay so that you put string through it afterword. Follow the directions for your polymer clay when baking the squirrels. After you string the squirrels, just put them over Daryl’s shoulders.

Crossbow: Make your crossbow using the polymer clay. Follow the polymer clay directions for baking your clay. In order to attach the cross bow, put the arms in the desired position. Using color A, add a few sts to hold the arms together. In the amigurumi above, the right hand is stitched to the left wrist. Now all you need to do it glue the cross bow into place. After adding the glue, put a large binder clip to hold it in place until the glue is dry.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

I am very excited to announce that I have officially opened an Etsy Shop! Right now I only have one item listed, but it is still very exciting. Since I am in a full time MS OT program, I haven't had a lot of time to crochet (or update here), but with winter break coming up I plan to remedy that shortly.

After watching a nail biting mid season finale of The Walking Dead a few weeks ago, I had been itching to crochet a zombie sophia. So one day after class last week, I whipped out my hooks and set out to do just that! Here is the first item in my Etsy shop: Zombie Sophia

Monday, October 3, 2011

Those who know me are used to the fact that when I get into something, I become completely absorbed. My current obsession is the book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. In this series, Martin yarns a tale about those who would sit upon the iron throne of Westeros; a large kingdom reminiscent of Medieval Eurasia.

Though the books are technically in the fantasy genre, the stories are not about magic. They are more about the character's struggles and the politics of love, war and power. There are mythical creatures in these books, but they are not the center of the story. They are there to add to something that is already intriguing and enthralling on its own.

Those who have not read the books may already be familiar with some of the characters. The HBO series Game of Thrones is based on the series and the first season is the first book, also entitled Game of Thrones. As Martin is one of the co-executive producers, the series holds true to the stories. The actors in this series are fantastic, and the cinematography is phenomenal. As they have in the past with shows like Deadwood, HBO is able to deliver a show that is both fantastical an grounded by realism. Each character is fully developed with both endearments and flaws.

After watching the series and reading the books, there are a few characters who really stand out for me. One of them is Daenerys Targaryen. Daenerys is the exiled princess of Westeros. After being smuggled out of Westeros with her brother Viserys during the uprising that left her an orphan, she has been living in the Free Cities beyond the narrow sea. Daenerys is a character who we see grow from a shy and scared child at the beginning of the first book to a powerful queen who is determined to take back what she sees as rightfully her's.

Here is my amigurumi of Daenerys Targaryen. I don't have a pattern for this one yet, because I made it up as I went along. I didn't notice any patterns on Ravelry either, but I'm sure there will be as more people discover the show and the books.

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About Me

Though I still consider myself to be a bit of a novice, I love to crochet. Photos of my projects, as well as links, tips, and resources can all be found at nicrochet.blogspot.com or on my Facebook Pages: Nicrochet and Necrochet (for my darker crafts).